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The Vegan Holiday Kitchen: Festive cooking for a year of celebrations

Long-time vegetarian cook  Nava Atlas is the author of numerous vegetarian and vegan cookbooks. Her latest, Vegan Holiday Kitchen, is a beautiful and inspired selection of recipes for celebrations. It covers all of the major holidays along with a section of festive dishes for brunches and parties for any occasion. Many of the recipes are stunningly photographed by vegan cook and photographer Susan Voisin, and the design is color-coded by type of holiday.

Nava says that vegan cuisine has “blossomed into full glory, which doesn’t include sacrifice,” and this is certainly the book to prove that point. Many of the recipes, like Simple Vegetable Soup with Matzo Balls, and Vegg-Nog (made with cashew butter) have a firm handle on tradition, while others such as Gingered Winter Fruit Medley, Chocolate Matzo Brittle, and Kale and Carrot Strudel, bring something new to holiday celebrations.

The author uses her experience and expertise in the kitchen to provide helpful make-ahead tips and planning, and ideas for keeping holiday cooking as stress-free as possible. Menus throughout the book will make planning your holiday dinners and brunches a breeze.

And if you’re looking ahead to summer—or live where it’s cook-out weather year-round—you’ll appreciate the “ultimate vegan grilling guide” in Vegan Holiday Kitchen, which includes recipes like Grilled Pizza with Tapenade and Chard, and the cool summer dishes like Summer Tomato Salad with Peaches and Pecans. 

A big bonus for those with allergies: many of the recipes are free of common allergenic foods or provide ingredient alternatives.

Here are recipes for Traditional Latkes, Vegan Style, with a sweet potato variation and Creamy Cracked-Pepper Cheez from Vegan Holiday Kitchen.

Traditional Latkes, Vegan-Style

• ¾ cup quick-cooking oats or quinoa flakes
• 6 large potatoes, preferably russet, peeled and finely grated
• 1 medium carrot, grated (optional, but highly recommended)
• 1 medium onion, finely grated
• ½ cup matzo meal or quinoa flakes
• Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
• Light vegetable oil for frying
• Applesauce
• Vegan sour cream

 

1. In a heatproof bowl, combine the oats with 1 ½ cups boiling water. Stir and set aside while preparing the other ingredients.

2. Combine the grated potato, optional carrot, onion, and matzo meal in a mixing bowl. Stir in the oatmeal, then season with salt and pepper.

3. Heat just enough oil to coat the bottom of a large nonstick skillet or griddle. Drop enough potato batter to form 2 ½ to 3-inch pancakes. Fry on both sides over medium-high heat until golden brown and crisp.

4. Drain briefly on paper towels and place in a covered dish to keep warm until serving. Serve warm with applesauce, vegan sour cream or both.

Variation: For sweet potato latkes, substitute one large peeled and diced sweet potato for two of the russet potatoes. You may need to increase the amount oats slightly so they stick together.

 

Creamy Cracked-Pepper Cheez

A spreadable vegan cheese with a variation for a sliceable version.

• 1 cup raw cashews
• ½ cup rice milk
• ¼ cup vegan cream cheese
• ¼ cup vegan mayonnaise
• ¼ cup nutritional yeast flakes
• 2 to 3 tablespoons lemon juice, to taste
• 1 teaspoon prepared yellow mustard
• 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
• ½ teaspoon coarsely ground pepper, plus more for topping

1. Combine the cashews with the rice milk in a small saucepan. Bring to a slow boil, then cover and simmer gently for 5 minutes.

2. Transfer the mixture to a food processor along with the remaining ingredients and process until very smooth. Stop the machine and scrape down the sides with a rubber spatula from time to time. It takes a good few minutes to make this smooth.

3. Transfer to a small serving crock and grind additional pepper over the top. Cover the crock and refrigerate for several hours before serving. Serve with flat breads, a thinly sliced baguette, or raw vegetables.

For a sliceable vegan cheese: Increase the amount of rice milk to 1 cup and add ¼ cup agar flakes to the saucepan. Continue as directed above, but instead of transferring to a crock, as directed in step 3, transfer to a lightly oiled loaf pan or two mini-loaf pans. Refrigerate until cool. Just before serving, run a knife around the edges of the loaf pan and unmold the “Boursin.” Cut into slices and arrange on a small platter to serve.

 

Reprinted with permission from Vegan Holiday Kitchen © 2011 by Nava Atlas, Sterling Publishing Co., Inc.

 

Virginia Messina is a dietitian specializing in vegan nutrition. Her new book is Vegan for Life: Everything You Need to Know to be Healthy and Fit on a Plant-based Diet. Learn more about vegan nutrition by reading her blog TheVeganRD, or by following her twitter.

 

Vegetarian, Raw and Vegan with Bill & Sheila

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